Preview: Swansea v Palace

Crystal Palace make their first ever Premier League trip to the Liberty Stadium when Swansea host the Eagles on Sunday.

Palace were victorious on their first ever trip to the Swans’ new stadium, coming away with a 3-1 win in March 2009, but have drawn one and lost one of their last two visits.

Swansea have won their last four matches against the Eagles, including a 2-0 victory at Selhurst Park in September last year, when goals from Michu and Nathan Dyer secured the three points for the Welsh outfit.

Garry Monk’s men come into this weekend’s game in at a much lower ebb though, having now gone five games without a win in all competitions following Thursday night’s 3-1 defeat to Napoli.

Their performances have picked up though following the dismissal of Michael Laudrup as manager and they were unlucky not to take anything from a 4-3 thriller at Liverpool in their last Premier League outing.

Tony Pulis’ side meanwhile will be looking to bounce back from the disappointment of last weekend’s 2-0 home defeat to Manchester United, which was their first defeat at Selhurst in 2014.

Although their home form has been solid, the Eagles have now lost each of their last three away games in all competitions – a statistic they will be keen to put right on Sunday.

TEAM NEWS

Swansea City: Jonjo Shelvey and Leon Britton could bolster the Swans’ midfield ranks on Sunday having both sat out the midweek defeat in Italy with hamstring and knee injuries respectively.

Last season’s top scorer Michu remains sidelined with an ankle problem having not played since December 2013.

Crystal Palace: Palace have no fresh injury concerns following their 2-0 defeat to Manchester United last time out, although manager Tony Pulis did admit that Glenn Murray picked up a slight knock in that game.

Jerome Thomas could return to the squad after recovering from the back problem that kept him out of that loss to the Premier League champions.

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Mike Dean

Assistant referees: S Beck, M Mullarkey

Fourth Official: S Hooper

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD

Swansea wins

Draws

Palace wins

League

9

4

4

FA Cup

1

2

0

League Cup

0

0

0

Total

10

6

4

LAST MATCH AT THE LIBERTY STADIUM

Swansea ran out 3-0 winners the last time Palace made the 200-mile trip to south Wales, back in January 2011.

Current Eagles stars Julian Speroni and Paddy McCarthy were both named in the starting line-up that day, but they fell behind to a Darren Pratley goal just two minutes before half time.

Former Palace loanee Scott Sinclair then added a second half brace – both of which came from the penalty spot – as the Swans kept up their Championship promotion push under Brendan Rodgers.

That of course ultimately resulted in a play-off final victory over Reading at Wembley – where Scott Sinclair again scored two penalties as part of a memorable hat-trick – as Swansea sealed a 4-2 win to claim a place in the Premier League.

TICKET UPDATE

Please note that tickets for the game against Swansea City will not be available to purchase on the day of the game.

Both clubs would advise Palace supporters not to travel to the Liberty Stadium if you are not in possession of a match ticket.

BETTING

Swansea: 4/5

Draw: 12/5

Palace: 100/30

Odds courtesy of SkyBet. Sign up HERE and receive a free matched bet worth up to £30!

LIVE COVERAGE

Commentary from all 90 minutes at the Liberty Stadium will be live and uninterrupted on Palace Player. CLICK HERE to log in or sign up to our award-winning service.

Alternatively, you can follow minute-by-minute text updates from the game by following the club’s official Twitter account, @Official_CPFC, or by checking out the new Eagles Feed.